Furnos was the name of two towns and bishoprics in the Roman province of Proconsular Africa (in present-day Tunisia). They are referred to as Furnos Maior and Furnos Minor, as now as separate Latin Catholic titular sees. Locations The ruins of Furnos Minor are at Henchir-El-Msaadine, near Tebourba (Ancient bishopric Thuburbo Minus) in modern Tunisia, North Africa Furnos Maior may have been at what is now Aïn-Fournou or Aïn-Fourna, more distant from Carthage. History Each was important enough to become a suffragan bishopric of the African provincial capital's Metropolitan Archbishop of Carthage. The towns and the bishoprics disappeared after the Muslim conquest of the Maghreb, but their dioceses have been revived as titular sees. There are records of early bishops of one or other of the two sees. Third-century Geminius died shortly before Saint Cyprian; a Donatist Florentinus attended a conference in 411; and a Simeon was at the Council of Carthage (525). Simeon belonged to Furnos Maior, but it is uncertain of which town the other two were bishops. Victor of Vita recounts that in the persecution by the Vandals of Genseric in 430 or 431 Bishop Mansuetus of Urusi was martyred by being burned alive at the gate of Urusi known as the Porta Fornitana, the 'Furnos Gate'. Titular see of Furnos Maior The diocese was nominally restored as a Latin Catholic titular bishopric in 1914 under the name Furnos Majus (or Maius), which was changed to Furni Majus in 1925, Furnos Maior (or Major) in 1929, Fornos Major in 1933, ultimately Furnos Maior again in 1971. It has had the following incumbents, so far of the Episcopal (lowest) rank: José Anselmo Luque (25 May 1914 – death 5 April 1930) as Auxiliary Bishop of Córdoba (Argentina) (25 May 1914 – 5 April 1930) Julien-Marie Nouailles, Picpus Fathers (SS.CC.) (born France) (26 April 1932 – death 14 August 1937) as Apostolic Vicar of Tahiti Islands (French Polynesia) (26 April 1932 – 14 August 1937) Marcel-Auguste-Marie Grandin, Holy Ghost Fathers (C.S.Sp.) (2 December 1937 – death 4 August 1947) first as only Apostolic Vicar of Oubangui Chari (colonial French name of Central African Republic) (2 December 1937 – 28 May 1940), then (see) renamed after its see) 'first' Apostolic Vicar of Bangui (Central African Republic) (28 May 1940 – 4 August 1947); previously last Apostolic Prefect of Oubangui Chari (2 May 1928 – 2 December 1937) Thomas F. Quinlan